It’s all part of being one of seven Model Schools for Inner Cities, an innovative — and award-winning — program in the Toronto District School Board that provides an extra $1 million each per year to schools in needy neighbourhoods, for programs that boost not only learning but also social and emotional skills.

A new $25,000 kitchen at George Webster brings parents together once a week to plan and cook a meal; volunteers prepare snacks and hot lunches for kids. Parents may also take career skills workshops, with free babysitting provided, attend talks on youth sexuality, and even have their own room to watch a movie, wait for their children or check out educational resources.

The extra funds have allowed “release time” for teachers to gather and work together, to ensure a strong emphasis on social justice in all subject areas and to make the curriculum relevant to students’ lives, said Steinhauer.

“The school is more like a community centre,” with people and parents milling about, or a settlement worker helping newly arrived families.

How George Webster elementary has spent some of the extra money it receives under the Model Schools for Inner Cities initiative: